FAZLE HAQ LIEUTENANT GENERAL (1929-1992)

FAZLE HAQ, LIEUTENANT GENERAL (1929-1992) Lieutenant General Fazle Haq belonged to the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and came from a family with a tradition of military service He was trained at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), at Kakul He was one of the corps commanders of the Pakistan army when General Zia ul-Haq moved against the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 5 July 1977 During most of Zia ul-Haq’s martial law, Lieutenant General Fazle Haq served as governor of the Northwest Frontier Province He was appointed to this position in 1978, a year after the imposition of martial law by Zia, and remained in this position until 1985 when martial law was lifted and limited democracy was allowed to return to the country As the governor of the NWFP, Fazle Haq concentrated his considerable energies on promoting economic development in the province, at times working against the wishes of the central government This approach helped him to develop a constituency of his own, which made it difficult for President Zia to sideline him On leaving his official position, Fazle Haq entered politics and considered joining one of the traditional political groups in the province To promote his political ambitions, he joined with some local entrepreneurs to launch an English-language newspaper, The Frontier Post, which was quickly identified as an independent voice in the politics of the NWFP Zia ul-Haq brought Fazle Haq back to the center as a member of the caretaker cabinet that was inducted after the dismissal of Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo

Zia’s death in August 1988, and the general elections in November, provided Fazle Haq with the opportunity to launch his political career He stood as a candidate for the National Assembly but was not elected Fazle Haq was assassinated in Peshawar by an assailant whose motives were not clear